January 2026: Deep Freeze

By Russell Russ

In recent years, winter did not get going weather-wise until January or even February. Although, that was not the case last year and it was certainly not the case this year. This winter it has been cold and snowy since early December. January was about average—for a normal January. It was snowy all month and became quite cold during the month’s last two weeks. Deep freeze conditions are when the daily high temperature does not exceed 32 degrees for 10 or more days. For eighteen days, Jan. 23 through Feb. 9, Norfolk’s high temperature did not exceed 29 degrees. Had it not been for the “balmy” high of 33 on Feb. 10, Norfolk would have gone 23 days without exceeding 32 degrees. It was 39 degrees on Feb. 15.

January’s monthly mean temperature of 19.9 degrees was 1.0 degree below normal. It felt cold, but it was not even in the top 25 for coldest Januarys. On average, January is Norfolk’s coldest month of the year. There were six days with low temperatures in the single digits and six days with lows of zero or below zero. What made it feel even colder was the wind. There were nine days with wind chill lows in the minus five to minus 30-degree range. Overall, the month was fairly average, so temperatures like this are not uncommon in January. It is winter after all. The month’s high temperature was 44 degrees on Jan. 9. The low temperature of minus six degrees was observed on Jan. 24. Norfolk’s coldest January was in 1982 with a monthly mean temperature of 11.7 degrees and the warmest was in 2023 with 32.0 degrees.

January’s total precipitation of 2.75 inches was 1.27 inches below normal. There was a little rainfall during the month, some of which was minor freezing rain, which can happen in January. Fortunately, there have been no bad ice storms in this area so far this winter. Most of the precipitation this month was in the form of snow. The wettest January occurred in 1979 with a total of 11.77 inches and the driest was in 1970 with just 0.74 inches.

The monthly snowfall total of 29.4 inches was 8.9 inches above normal. The largest storm snowfall total for the month came on Jan. 25-27 with a total of 15.2 inches measured at the weather station. With windy conditions and heavy snow bands setting up throughout the state, there were a variety of snow depth measurements noticed by many people. Like thunderstorms in the summer, snowfall can be just a little heavier or lighter from one location to another. A difference of a few inches or even several inches can happen—even in a small town like Norfolk. Drifting and existing snow on the ground makes new snowfall measuring a little complicated at times. The snowiest January occurred in 1987 with 50.5 inches. The least snowy was in 1980 with just 2.6 inches. Norfolk’s 2025-26 winter season snowfall total through January was 49.1 inches, 4.3 inches above normal. Last year’s total through January was only 25.9 inches. Snow lovers are happy this winter.

A look ahead into February through two-thirds of the month showed that winter is still alive and well in Norfolk. Very cold (and windy) conditions were common during the month’s first ten days. Temperatures moderated by Feb. 15, but before that there were numerous days with single digit and below-zero low temperatures. The highs on Feb. 7 and 8 did not get out of the single digits. The low of minus 10 on Feb. 8 was the coldest temperature recorded at the weather station this winter. Even with the warmer temperatures arriving after mid-month, the monthly mean was still nearly four degrees below normal—cold, but not even top ten cold for February. It is winter after all. Snowfall was lacking this February, with only 3.8 inches as of Feb 19. That may change with a storm on the horizon for the latter part of the month. In the meantime, thanks to our prolonged colder temperatures, Norfolk is still holding onto a snow cover of 10 to 12 inches from January’s surplus. This winter has already seen more snowfall than three out of our last five winters. Enjoy the winter weather while it is here. Springtime will be here in a month or two. Weather observations are recorded by the Great Mountain Forest at Norfolk’s National Weather Service Cooperative Weather Observer Station, Norfolk 2SW.